University Park, Pa. -- Fraternity and sorority life has always been a valuable aspect of student life, especially at Penn State where strengthening the relationship with the Greek community is of utmost importance to the University. "Greek Pride: A Return to Glory" is a process that will build on this synergy to create a vision and structure to ensure the Greek community's health and vitality for years to come.
More than 80 participants contributed their positive experiences about Penn State Greek life to the first of two Greek Pride summits held earlier this month. Organizers are encouraging students, staff, faculty, alumni, parents and community members who are interested in helping to shape the future of Greek life at Penn State to attend the second two-day summit, held from 4 to 10 p.m. on April 22 and 23.
The intent of the summits is to help participants discover the core values of the Greek system, envision the best the system can be and then determine strategies for realizing the vision.
"Through this energizing process, we want to engage people in a collaborative effort to enhance the fraternity and sorority experience for Penn State student -- and in the process improve upon the health and well-being of our chapters and our Greek community," said Vicky Triponey, vice president for student affairs. "We already have one of the largest, thriving Greek systems in the country. Through efforts like these summits, we're striving to be the best Greek system in the country."
The first summit, held April 2 and 3, was an excellent start to the process according to organizers, with most participants agreeing that they were very satisfied with the structure of the process, the interaction with others and the University's commitment to continue to strengthen its relationship with the Greek community -- so much so that most said they left the experience "inspired to build on the best of fraternity and sorority life at Penn State."
The summit brought to light some remarkable experiences that participants attribute to their Greek experience. One summit attendee shared, "The single-most important experience Penn State contributed to my life was my fraternal experience. I gained tremendous knowledge and had to tackle issues such as managing a 40,000-dollar budget, lead forty-two men towards a common vision, and interact with the Board of Trustees of my fraternity. These were tremendous challenges that many 19-year-old men do not get to experience. I believe that these experiences in combination with my academic curriculum set the track for the rest of my career. These experiences took the knowledge I gained in the classroom to another level."
Another participant recounted, "I don't know any other campus where students have such pride in their school. Our chapter is proud to be Penn State. The chapter is strongest there. Penn State brings a lot of pride to their students."
And still others reflected on the strength the Greek system provided at particularly challenging times in their lives. One attendee shared the story of how his fraternity rallied around a brother who was diagnosed with cancer. Although the brother eventually lost his battle, the bond of support and communication among the remaining brothers endured, even to today. Another participant related the valuable support provided by his fraternity -- from both current members and alumni -- when one of their fraternity brothers died in the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Stories such as these, which underscore the impact the Greek system has had on the lives of so many Penn Staters, are valuable building blocks to future improvements and enhancements in the Penn State/Greek relationship.
To contribute to this process, register to attend the second summit by visiting http://www.sa.psu.edu/greekpride/register.shtml
Snacks, refreshments and meals are provided at the summits. In addition, visitor parking passes are provided to non-Penn State guests. To learn more about this initiative, visit http://www.sa.psu.edu/greekpride/